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Boston Harbor Islands with Kids
A Harbor Islands day is a boat out and a boat back, and the timetable decides when you leave. Ferries run from the downtown waterfront to Georges Island, roughly May to Columbus Day. Most islands have no shop and no drinking water. Castle Island is the free version that needs no boat.
Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Season: Ferries run roughly May to Columbus Day, then stop for the winter
- Times and fares: Ferry times, fares and island openings: bostonharborislands.org
- Pack in, pack out: No shop and no drinking water on most islands. Carry everything, take rubbish home
- The no-boat alternative: Castle Island — free, joined to the mainland by road and footpath
- Harborwalk: A flat, free, stroller-friendly path from Castle Island to the Kennedy Library
Which island, and how the ferry works
Ferries leave the downtown waterfront for Georges Island, the hub, with inter-island shuttles from there to Spectacle, Peddocks and the smaller islands. The two islands most families want are both on the main ferry, which matters when you are counting connections with a tired child.
Georges Island — Boston Harbor
Fort Warren, a granite Civil War-era fort with dark corridors and a genuinely good ghost story, and the hub every inter-island shuttle leaves from.
Know before you go
- Served by the main ferry, not a shuttle
- No shade at all on the exposed parts of the island
Who it's for
Six and up, for the fort and the corridors
Skip if
You came for a beach — that is Spectacle
Spectacle Island — Boston Harbor
Swimming beaches, a visitor center, gentle walking paths and the best skyline view in the harbor.
Know before you go
- Served by the main ferry, not a shuttle
- Very little shade — the paths are open ground
Who it's for
Young children, and anyone who wants one island done slowly
Skip if
The forecast is hot and still — there is nowhere to get out of the sun
What to carry, and what the harbor does to the weather
You carry in everything for four to six hours and carry it all out again. The harbor also runs about ten degrees colder and windier than the mainland.
- No shop, no café, no vending machine and no drinking water on most islands
- A seasonal snack bar, where there is one, is not reliably open
- Water first and more of it than feels sensible, then lunch, then sunscreen and hats
- A jacket that looks absurd on the dock is the right call on the boat
- Sun off the water burns much faster than the same sun on the Common
How to shape the day with children under eight
Take the earliest comfortable ferry rather than the mid-morning one, and do the fort or the beach in the first two hours while everyone is fresh. Treat the second half as slow wandering.
- Eat early, before the day catches up with anyone
- One island and one boat each way is a full day with a toddler
- Do not plan to island-hop with a small child
- Check the last return time twice — missing it is not a small problem
The free version that needs no boat
Castle Island in South Boston gives you a granite fort and the same harbor for nothing, with no timetable attached. Despite the name it is joined to the mainland by walkways and roads.
Castle Island and Fort Independence — South BostonVisit official site →
A free 22-acre DCR park built around Fort Independence, a pentagonal five-bastioned granite fort of 1834–1851 on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Dates
- Free scenic tours, weather permitting, Memorial Day to Columbus Day
- September and October: Sundays only, noon–3pm
Tickets
Free, and the Castle Island Association's tours are free too
Know before you go
- Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 12 in 2026
- Drive or take the bus and walk on — there is no boat and no timetable
Who it's for
Families who want the fort without committing to a ferry
The South Boston Harborwalk — South Boston
Pleasure Bay, the M Street Beach and Carson Beach form a three-mile stretch of parkland along the shoreline, with a walkway you can walk, bike or run from Castle Island to the Kennedy Library.
Tickets
Free
Know before you go
- Flat, paved and stroller-friendly, and you can turn back whenever you like
- Carson Beach's public restrooms are closed — plan a long walk around that
Who it's for
Buggies, scooters and anyone who wants an exit at any point
The other boats: whales, lighthouses and kayaks
The harbor's other trips solve different problems, and every one of them is seasonal and weather-dependent.
Whale watch — Downtown waterfront, Boston
A three-to-four-hour run out to Stellwagen Bank in open water, leaving from the same waterfront as the island ferries.
Who it's for
Eight- and nine-year-olds, who will remember it for years
Skip if
Anyone in the family gets carsick — this is the biggest commitment on the water
Lighthouse cruise — Downtown waterfront, Boston
The gentler version: shorter, closer to shore, and past Boston Light on Little Brewster, the oldest lighthouse station in the country.
Who it's for
Younger children, and anyone prone to motion sickness
Inner-harbor kayak tours — Boston Harbor
Guided paddling tours around the inner harbor islands.
Who it's for
Older children and confident paddlers
Skip if
Your child has never paddled — this is not the place to start
Harbor & island events in our catalog
Live from our catalog — 1 upcoming, refreshed weekly.
Boston Harbor Islands Partnership Meeting (Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area) — Representatives from federal, state, city, and nonprofit agencies discuss island stewardship; public invited to provide input. All ages.
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FAQ
Can we visit the Boston Harbor Islands in winter?
No. Ferry service stops after Columbus Day and there is no winter option. Castle Island in South Boston is the year-round substitute: a free granite fort on the harbor, reachable by road and on foot, open whatever the season.
Which boat trip suits a child who gets travel sick?
A lighthouse cruise. It is shorter and stays close to shore, unlike the whale watch, which is three to four hours in open water at Stellwagen Bank. Keep the whales for a year when everyone's stomach is older.
Is Castle Island really an island?
Not any more. It is connected to the mainland by both walkways and roads, so you drive or take the bus and walk straight on. That is the whole appeal: a harbor fort with no ferry, no ticket and no last boat home.